Carthaginians/History
The Phoenicians The progenitors of Carthage were the Phoenicians who originated in present-day Lebanon and were known for their excellent shipworking skills and business savvy, which would eventually be passed down to their Carthaginian forbears too. They are also credited by Herodotus for creating the first human alphabet. Despite being fairly prosperous from trade, the Phoenicians never existed as a unified nation, and dwelled in several city-states along the shore of the Levant, and as a result often had to face the depredations of larger and more belligerent neighbours, most notably the Assyrians, the Persians and later the Greeks led by Alexander and his successors. It is thought that those who fled to survive these onslaughts on their cities would go west, and eventually in the 9th century BC found a new city (in Punic, Qart-hadhasht) near a pre-existing city in present-day Tunis named Utica. This city would become Carthage, and continued as the hub of Phoenician commerce even as the heartland of old Phoenicia fell to the might of conquerors. Rise of Carthage Conflict with Rome In 509 B.C. the Etruscan Monarchy was overthrown, ushering in the Republican period of Roman history. The Carthaginians would become Rome's greatest enemy as conflicting colonial interests brought them in a series of wars known as the Punic Wars, which eventually saw the annihilation of the Carthaginian Empire and Rome emerging as a world power. It began with the First Punic War (264 B.C. to 241 B.C.) which began as a territorial dispute between Rome and Carthage over Sicily. The Roman's had originally signed a treaty with Carthage to acknowledge their dominion over the Island. However things began to unravel when a band of Mamertines pirates who were of Italian origin had set up a colony in Sicily. The Syracusans, who was of Greek origin, in southeastern Sicily was tired of their raids on the countryside and on shipping and decided to attack them, and use the opportunity to take over the rest of the Island. So these Mamertines, decided to appeal to Rome for help in defending them against the Syracusans. But Rome was hesitant to help them, partly because it felt it improper to support what was virtually a robber-state, and partly because it feared war with a great sea power, and because interference would be a breach of the Carthaginian-Roman treaty. So the Mamertines appealed to the Carthaginians for help, which they did in fact answered, and convinced the Syracusans to back down. However, a faction of the Mamertines, did not want the Carthaginians occupying Sicily and again sent for Roman help but this time to remove the Carthaginians. This time the Romans did come to their aid, since Rome was becoming the de facto guardian of all things Italian as they unified the mainland. This action brought two powerful nations at odds with each other, and resulted in the defeat of the Carthaginian fleet, and Rome getting a foothold on both Sicily and Sardinia. The Second Punic War (218 B.C. to 201 B.C.) began when Hannibal mounted his famous invasion of Italy over the Pyrenees. In battle after battle, he defeated the Romans on the field. His strategy at Cannae, which entailed brilliant cavalry tactics is counted as one of the most noteworthy in history. However he lacked the support he need to take Rome outright, and had to settle for raiding the country side in hopes the Romans would meet him on the field. However, in a stroke of daring, the Romans under the command of Scipio Africanus, landed a force on the Carthaginian homeland. This forced Hannibal to withdraw from Italy and return home. Hannibal's forces outnumbered the Roman's but when they met at Zama he offered peace terms so that Carthage would not be risked. Scipio refused, knowing that his Numidian allies would join him. Hannibal attempted to repeat his tactics at Cannae, but this time, the Romans had superior men and cavalry, against his green recruits. Hannibal was defeated, forcing Carthage to cede all of its colonial possessions and the surrender of its war fleet to Rome. Hannibal fled to the Selucid Greek Empire, and the Romans pursued him. Using the excuse that the Greeks were harboring an enemy of Rome and had aided him in invading Rome, they now also made war on the Macedonians. The Macedonian phalanx while deadly, was no match for the tactics now employed by the Romans. The Third Punic war (149 B.C. to 146 B.C.), was the killing blow to the Carthaginians. The Numidians were encroaching on Carthaginian territory, so they declared war on the Numidians, who were Roman allies. Using the excuse that the Carthaginians were in material breach of the peace terms of the last war. Scipio returned to Carthage, and raised the city to the ground, and sold the inhabitants into slavery. Category:Carthaginians